Tua Tagovailoa needs 1 second, some daylight to hit big play

From the snap to throw, approximately 1.6 football seconds is all Tua Tagovailoa needed. This was his second throw of Alabama's 57-7 beating of Arkansas State and the first of his four touchdown passes.

No need to wait. He saw what he needed and fired one to Jerry Jeudy streaking across the middle. One broken tackle and he could have crawled into the end zone for the 58-yard score.

In two games as Alabama's starter, Tagovailoa's used the middle of the field often and with success. Of his 35 passes so far, 16 went to the midsection -- nine alone in the win over Arkansas State.

His second touchdown came on a slant similar to the first one. This time he needed less than a second to whip it over to Henry Ruggs III for the 31-yard touchdown.

"Once I saw the ball in the air, I attacked the ball," Ruggs said. "Go get it."

It's these slants that seem to use Tagovailoa's arm strength without airing it out. In fact, he's only thrown one true deep ball so far this season -- the 49-yard completion to Jaylen Waddle against Louisville. It traveled 40 yards in the air from the line of scrimmage.

The average completion for Tagovailoa has gone 10.8 yards downfield.

Alabama's first touchdown against Louisville was set up by a dart Tagovailoa threw to DeVonta Smith on a slant into traffic. The ball went just six yards past the line of scrimmage, hitting the receiver in stride, to gain 28.

Slants like the two early touchdowns Saturday can be difficult to defend, Alabama safety Deionte Thompson said. It's a matter of geometry in front of 100,000 spectators.

"It's just the angle you have to take," Thompson said. "You have to be very aware of the angle you take because the slant route is a very angled route. As a safety trying to back pedal and break on it, if you take any bad angle, it could be a house call for 6."

Tagovailoa adds another dimension.

"Yeah. He puts it right on the money," Thompson said. "He has the left hand, coming from the left side it's very awkward because not many quarterbacks are left handed. How he puts it in there, it's special."

This was once a more dangerous play. The targeting rule changed the aggression with which linebackers and defensive backs could attack a receiver sprinting head-on into no-man's land.

Both Jeudy and DeVonta Smith said there's no room for fear when breaking to the middle of the field.

"You would think that, but not really," Jeudy said. "You just have to make the play to the ball and the quarterback will do a good job throwing to you not to get hit."

Only once this year has the slant gone wrong. Smith took a big hit from Louisville linebacker Dorian Etheridge who read the play before Jalen Hurts could fit the ball into his target. Etheridge blew up Smith just as the ball arrived to deliver a big hit.

By design, that shouldn't be an issue.

Nick Saban said the defensive alignment often dictates the slant. Arkansas State, for example, played split safeties, which left the middle of the field open.

"That gave us an opportunity to get some of those passes off," Saban said.

Overall, Saban said he likes Tagovailoa's approach in the pocket. He's instinctive with the ability to read defenses like on DeVonta Smith's 41-yard touchdown when the cornerback blitzed to leave the receiver uncovered up the sideline for an easy pitch and catch.

"He wasn't even supposed to be reading that side of the field," Saban said.

The third touchdown in four possessions had Alabama in control in what became a 50-point blowout.

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.